In 2016 the International Book Project (IBP) developed a strategic plan that committed to increasing the number of books shipped to at least 500,000 per year. One of the major obstacles they faced was the condition of their facility.

Working closely with IBP, we evaluated their current building and helped them make the difficult decision whether to abandon or renovate their existing location. Of the three firms interviewed, Nomi was the only one to recommend preserving their historic warehouse property.

We hosted a weekend Charrette (aka visioning session) for IBP administrators, staff and board members during which we facilitated a discussion about their operations and environment. We then translated that information into a working program and a flexible, open layout that would allow staff and volunteers to operate efficiently now and into the future.

IBP’s need for flexible space is supported by the custom fabricated casework we designed and fabricated especially for this project. The sturdy mobile kitchen island and rolling work tables can handle to weight of piles of books an allow staff and volunteers to reconfigure their space into the ideal environment for each operational task.

Brand reinforcement is essential for non-profit organizations who rely on community awareness to bring in volunteers and donations. Unique design elements like the repurposed shipping container reinforce their mission of promoting global literacy by shipping books to over 50 countries.

We are very honored to be part of the award-winning design, development and construction team receiving the 2017 AIA Kentucky Merit Award for construction less than five million dollars!

The York Street Challenge, a national design competition was organized by the North Limestone Community Development Corporation (NoLi CDC) as part of the LuigART Maker Spaces initiative which received an implementation grant in 2013 from ArtPlace America. The competition invited designers to generate designs that would allow the NoLi CDC to repurpose nearly forty contiguous ‘shotgun’ styled homes from the turn of the 20th century into affordable and highly flexible live-work spaces for makers and their families.

Click the image above to read more about all of the winning project teams.

Our winning entry for this competition preserves the memory of the original homes while creating a design based on what we call open source format; a single plan that can be customized for each maker while fostering social and creative collaboration within the LuigART community.

130 and 142 York Street were completed in 2016 using Computerized Numerical Control (CNC) fabrication methods. The wood structures for both homes were assembled from pieces milled on our CNC machine that fit together like a puzzle. The pre-cut parts were delivered on pallets to the site then assembled using only rubber mallets, screw guns and a little elbow grease.

The York Street Maker Spaces are a continuation into our research and development mission to challenge the boundaries of conventional architecture through making.

Framing pieces staged in Nomi's fabrication shop before delivery

142 York Street, Lexington, KY

Impressive DIY mindset and commitment by the owner, as developer/master planner/designer, to enhance and transform a community. A fun place to live and work using the vocabulary of the shotgun house. Excellent use of advance technology to create this design solution, adding delight to the community.

Last year, the LDDA's "BUSt! boredom" proposal to re-imagine the Transit Center was chosen as 1 of 50 winners from over 1,000 applicants to receive a grant from KaBoom!'s Play Everywhere Challenge, a collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Target, Playworld, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Initial concept sketch for Misfits

During Lexington’s Public Space Public Life Study performed by the Gehl Institute in 2015, the Transit Center was identified as a “harsh and undignified experience that forces transit users to wait in a space with few amenities cut off from the rest of Downtown." (Gehl, 2015) The goal of BUSt! boredom is to "encourage wonder, conversation, pride, and a sense of belonging for the almost 5,000 predominantly low income individuals who pass through this space every day" and to "inspire imagination and promote interaction among caregivers and children during their 10 to 15 minute wait." (LDDA, 2016)

Nomi worked alongside two other design teams, the UK College of Design and Informal Office to develop prototypical and replicable concepts that allow children (and adults) in Lexington to "Play Everywhere". Our two concepts, "Mega Maze" and "Misfits" are currently installed at Lexington's central transit center on Vine Street.

We had a lot of fun working on this one and are very excited to be part of this people-first design project for our city!

For the December Issue, Jon-Michael Brothers interviews Delaware Avenue business owners and explains how we collaborate with one another to bring exciting new products and services to Lexington. He asked Nomi's founder and owner, Matthew Brooks about our approach to design:

It keeps you sharp,’ said Brooks. ‘You do the same thing over and over again, you may lose the innovation. I think that with the way we approach our design work, we see everything as a design challenge, that even the smallest things are a design challenge, that we hone our design skills for everything that we do and we keep it fresh.